338_7-2012.pdf

eldest son, George Washington Custis Lee. Robert E. Lee and his wife, Mary Anna, lived at Arlington House until 1861, when Virginia ratified an alliance with the Confederacy and seceded from the Union.

Lee deeply regretted the loss of his home at Arlington, although he continued to feel responsible for the estate.

He was said to have earnestly hoped that the slaves who were left behind would be educated and freed, according to the provisions of George Washington Parke Custis' will.

The property was confiscated by the federal government when property taxes levied against Arlington estate were not paid in person by Mrs. Lee. The property was offered for public sale Jan. 11, 1864, and was purchased by a tax commissioner for "government use, for war, military, charitable and educational purposes."

Arlington National Cemetery was established after Brig. Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, who commanded the garrison at Arlington House, appropriated the grounds June 15, 1864, for use as a military cemetery. His intention was to render the house uninhabitable should the Lee family ever attempt to return. Among the first monuments to Union dead was a stone and masonry burial vault in the rose garden that contained the remains of 1,800 Bull Run casualties.

After the Civil War, the oldest son of Robert E. Lee, George Washington Custis Lee argued in court that the land had been illegally confiscated and that he was the legal owner. In December 1882, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, returned the property. On March 3, 1883, Congress purchased the property from Lee for $150,000.

It became a military reservation.

Today, Arlington National Cemetery, steeped in history, remains a place worthy of a visit during student group travel to the Washington, D.C., area.

Written by Dave Knapp. Article courtesy of Isnare.com. Photographs courtesy of sxc.hu. and Peter MacKay.